WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson on Thursday as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, the end of a historic nomination process streaked with acrimony even for a justice who will not alter the court’s current conservative tilt.
Jackson, who received bipartisan support in a 53-47 vote, will also be the first former public defender to sit on the court. It’s a professional background that Democrats said would add a much needed perspective on the high court but Republicans mined to accuse Jackson of being soft on crime.
Jackson will take the seat of Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who plans to retire at the end of the term in June. By then, the 6-3 conservative majority is expected to deliver major rulings on abortion and gun rights that could fuel debate about the high court’s legitimacy. On the horizon are cases about election laws and congressional redistricting after the 2020 census.
